NEW DELHI: The upcoming white-ball series against Zimbabwe provides Sri Lanka with an opportunity to demonstrate improvement following a disappointing World Cup campaign last year, said to skipper
Kusal Mendis
.
After captain Dasun Shanaka withdrew from World Cup mid-way due to injury, under Mendis, the team finished second from bottom only ahed of Netherlands.
Having been appointed as the one-day captain this week, Mendis said that the team has undergone rigorous training, particularly focusing on enhancing their fielding skills. This comes in response to the issue of 16 dropped catches during their matches in India.
"Fielding is one area that we have worked really hard during the last two weeks. It was a big letdown for us during the World Cup," he said.
"It was bitterly disappointing. We could have fared better in the World Cup had we been more disciplined on the field," he added.
"I can promise you that there's been a lot of hard work and you can see the results in this upcoming series."
Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will play three ODIs starting Saturday followed by three T20 fixtures, all in Colombo.
The one-day matches form part of the Super League that will determine qualification for the next
ODI World Cup, in southern Africa in 2027.
The past two World Cups were restricted to 10 teams, meaning two-time champions West Indies missed out on the Id=ndia showpiece.
Eleventh-ranked Zimbabwe also missed the last two tournaments, after attending every World Cup from 1983 to 2015, and captain Craig Ervine welcomed plans to accommodate more teams in the next edition.
"It is hugely important that more teams compete in global events such as World Cups. It's better for cricket," he said.
"Teams like us don't get to play top teams like India, Australia and England often and events like the World Cup are the only occasion we get to compete against the best."
(With inputs from AFP)
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